Personalfn.com

How many times have you heard the pithy principle KISS-Keep It Simple, Stupid! Simplicity is the name of the game. Then why should it be any different when it comes to managing your own personal finances? Chalking a secure investment plan has been made easier with Personalfn.com, a finance portal that (for once) has focussed information for the Indian investor.

Investments and insurance are an integral part of financial planning for everyone, and it's never too early to begin. Whether you are a prudent breadwinner looking for tax saving schemes or you want to set aside sums for a rainy day, a visit to this site will leave you better informed.

The advice given is extensively researched and more importantly, unbiased, despite the site's tie-ups with certain financial corporations. Hey, even they need to earn!

Aesthetics
The site has a clean layout, is user-friendly and easily navigable. While the prevalence of text over images on a plain white background gives it a rather muted feel, the comprehensive and well sorted data compensates for the lack of visual appeal.

Even the 'Help' section is choc-a-bloc with 'FAQs', 'Glossary', 'Tutorials', 'Ask Personalfn' and 'Download Guide!'. Make a mental note of where the 'Search' tool is, we suggest!

It's not all gyaan, though. The FAQs are neat, crisp and concise. They range from answers to the most basic questions to the legalities and technicalities in loans, taxation, equities, insurance and so on.

Of Interest
Broadly speaking, Personalfn.com provides information on insurance, mutual funds, home loans, tax saving strategies and fixed income. The personalised areas include a host of features such as-'My Planner', 'Quick Calcs', 'Knowledge Centre', 'Asset Review' and 'Tax Corner'. Each of these sections is feature-packed.

To illustrate this point, let's take an example. Under 'Quick Calcs' alone, there are four sub-sections, namely 'Housing Finance', 'Taxation', 'Life Events' and 'Personal Loans'.

And under 'Housing Finance > Home Loan' you can, in next to no time, compute the equated monthly instalment (EMI) of a home loan by entering a few relevant details such as amount, period and name of the housing finance company. Nifty tool, this. Calls for a bookmark if you are on the prowl for a home loan.
This simple, yet useful exercise will help you draw an appropriate home loan plan. Similarly, there are also 'Retirement', 'Education', 'Property' and 'Marriage Planners' that let you calculate the amount you need to invest for optimum benefits.

In short, there is all the necessary info one would ever need about financial planning. Oh yes, NRIs have been given due consideration too!

Know Your Worth
A prominent section on the right-hand side of the home page titled 'Investment Avenues' deals with 'Cash Assets', 'Fixed Income' and 'Mutual Funds'. Under 'Cash Assets', there is data on liquid funds, short term funds and fixed deposits.

Under 'Fixed Income', there are fact sheets and comparison tables on government bonds, monthly income plans and post office schemes. Under 'Mutual Funds', you can even see statistics of all mutual funds that have been gainers or losers starting from the last week up to the last five years!

Using the various tools given, you can easily see your net worth position, after adjusting your assets and liabilities and thus control your cash flows.

Freebies
For sound financial advice, download 'Money Simplified'-the site's free online bi-monthly. The present issue tackles investment avenues for women and children-(one of the more neglected areas, as the authors claim) and is certain to benefit every student, working woman and homemaker.

You can even access the archives of 'Money Simplified', some popular ones include: Investment Guide 2005, Tax Planning, and Investment Guide for NRIs. A free sign-up for their free fortnightly newsletter called 'Yours, Personally' will get this to you on a regular basis.

Member's Arena
As a member you get the right to use a range of premium online tools including daily e-mail alerts for NAV (Net Asset Value), dividend and portfolio performance, coupled with researched views and analysis. The site's team of consultants provide personalised services for investment, insurance and loans in Indian metros.

For instance, the paid feature, 'My Planner', lets you keep track of assets, liabilities, receipts and payments. There is a free one-month trial period, after which you must pay an annual fee of Rs 300 to continue.